Combination package and self-lighting cigarettes



D. c. MAY 3,021,847

COMBINATION PACKAGE AND SELF-LIGHTING CIGARETTES Feb. 20, 1962 Filed April 10, 1961 INVEN TOR. fiEWEYC MAY 1'2 IIIIII I I4 f w lwvvv 6 .11 I eg s 4 4 Armamen- United States hatent 3,021,847 COMBINATION PAQKAGE AND SELF-LIGHTING CKGARETTES Dewey C. May, Steubenville, Ohio (Madison, Va.), as-

signor of one-third to Valeria F. May, Steubenviile, Ohio, and one-third to Clara Louise May, Madison, Va.

Filed Apr. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 131,873 12 Claims. (Cl. 131-7) This invention relates to a combination package and self-lighting cigarettes, and has for an object to provide an improved cigarette package in combination with a plurality of self-lighting cigarettes for eliminating the necessity of separate cigarette lighting means so that the smoker having the package and cigarettes therein is always sure of being able to quickly and easily light the cigarette without the necessity of fumbling in his pocket or elsewhere either for a cigarette lighter or for a separate pack of matches.

.A further object of this invention is to provide an improved combination package and self-lighting cigarettes wherein each cigarette is provided with an igniting band afiixed thereto adjacent the end of the cigarette to be lighted, and the package is provided with an igniting tube through which the cigarette is drawn to ignite the same, the tube being aiiixed within the package and providing an igniting means for all the cigarettes in the package.

A further object of this invention is to provide selfigniting cigarettes and an igniting tube mounted within the cigarette package, fitted within the cigarette package, preferably in one corner thereof, whereby the cigarette may be drawn through the tube and be ignited by the act of drawing it through the tube.

A further object of tln's invention is to provide a cigarette package and self-igniting cigarettes wherein the cigarette package may be in either of the popular types of packages, either the conventional soft wrapper sealed package or the flip-top package.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, Ithis'invention comprises the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, claimed, and disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

. FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one form ofcigarette package of thisinvention, showing the location of the igniting tube in dash outline therein.

ice

. the exit end of the tube 16 so that the mouth end of the FIG..2 is a similar isometric view of the package of FIG. 1, the package having been opened and one cigarette being shown partly through the igniting tube.

FIG. 3 is a section view on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a flip-top type of cigarette package and cigarettes in position therein.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a single cigarette on an enlarged scale and partly broken away showing the de tails of the self-igniting end.

There is shown at 10, the soft wrapper" type of scaled cigarette package to which this invention has been ap plied. This soft wrapper package It is of conventional construction with the usual material, etc. for keeping the cigarettes fresh except for the detail that one corner thereof is provided with tear perforations 12 for facilitating opening a package adjacent the particular corner 14 about which the tear perforations are located. Adjacent the same corner 14 and spaced below it, there is affixed to and mounted within the package It) an igniting tube 16. Packed within the package 10 are a conventional number of self-igniting cigarettes 18, each self-igniting cigarette 18 being provided, at its burning end, with an igniton band 20, the ignition band 20 being fixed about the burning end of the cigarette 18 and about the end of the cigarette cover 22. The tobacco 24 in the burned end of the cigarette 18 is preferably recessed slightly within cigarette 22 can be readily grasped by the fingers and pulled down through the tube 16. The inner surface of the tube 16 is partially or completely covered with a suitable friction means for cooperating with the ignition band 20 on cigarette 18 so that when the cigarette 16 is pulled downwardly through the tube 16, the friction will cause the igniting band 24 on the cigarette to start burning.

As shown, the tube 16 is square in cross section, and

is tapered from its entrance end 26 toward its exit end 28. This tapering of the tube facilitates the ready removalof the cigarette causing friction on the cigarette as it is pulled downwardly, for the taper will cause close inside contact on all the inside surface of the tube to thus bring the igniting end into frictional contact with the friction ma terial thereon and cause the cigarette to be lighted. However, if preferred, the tube 16 can be rectangular or can be oval or round, the important detail being that the cigarette should not be so tight at its exit end that it cannot be pulled therefrom, it should be capable of frictional contact between the igniting band 26 of the cigarette 18 and the ignition material on the inner wall of the tube 16.

The exit end 28 of the tube may be thus opened, but preferably as originally packaged, the package will extend across this exit end 28, but is provided with a coinciding perforation around this exit end 28 which can be easily torn awayby ones fingers, or which will of necessity be torn open by pushing the first cigarette to be ignited. Also, when. the package initially covers the exit end.28, one of the cigarettes may be initially packed within the tube 16 or otherwise the tube,16 can be left empty, de- "pending on the size of the package. However, it appears preferable that a cigarette should initially be packaged within the tube 16, as this will help maintain the shape of the package and prevent any tendency to crush in this end of the cigarette package while it is enroute from the cigarette manufacturer to the smoker. '1 In FIG. '4, there is. illustrated the invention as applied to a fiip-top-package 30 provided with the usual flip-top cover 32 operating in the conventional way. This package 30 is, of course, in the conventional flip-top package having the tube 16 secured in one corner in the same manner as the other package, with its entrance end 24 coinciding with the lower edge 34 of the package mouth when the package is open, the exit end 28 being either initially open or provided with tear perforations about 3 sides thereof, so that this tear flap 36 may remain hinged to the bottom of the package 30 by its hinge side after the first cigarette has been pushed therethrough or after it has been torn open to the necessary amount.

One form of ignition band 29 on the cigarette 18 is shown in more detail in FIG. 5, and it includes a connecting collar 40 for securing a band 42 of i-gnitable material to which is secured a band 44 of-combustible material such as inflammable paper partly impregnated with parafiin or similar material to which is inherently secured the ignit-able material 42 of the type conventional in the art such as may be found in the chlorate compounds, the tobacco 24 being recessed somewhat below the edge of the ignition band 18.

As thus formed, the self igniting band 24 will burst into flame when the cigarette 18 is drawn through the tube 16 long enough to ignite the combustible material 42 which is held by the collar 40 to the cigarette cover 3 32 at the end of the cigarette 18 and maintain the flame long enough so the smoker can put the month end of the cigarette into his mouth and puff in through the cigarette thus causing the flame to ignite the recessed end of the tobacco 24, by which time the ignitable material 44- is already burnt up, and the combustible material 42: burns out as the smoker inhales through the cigarette.

The operation of the invention is apparent from the foregoing description, the package is opened either by tearing off the corner along-perforations 12 of the soft wrapper type package or opening the flip-top 32 of the hard box 3! and pushing the first cigarette through the tube to open the bottom and then drawing the cigarette out through the exit end of the tube and smoking it in the conventional manner. The act of drawing it through the tube and taking the first putt is sufficient to completely ignite the cigarette.

While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed and changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of what is claimed, with out departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination, a package, a plurality of cigarettes each having a paper cover and a filler, a frictionally ignitable material affixed to each cover adjacent one end of the cigarette, a tube, open at both ends, of somewhat shorter length than said cigarettes, afiixed to and mounted within said package and friction means on the inner Wall of said tube for contacting and igniting said frictionally ignitable material on a cigarette cover to thereby ignite when the cigarette is inserted through one end of said tube and pulled through the exit end of said tube, said tube having its exit end opening through the bottom of said package.

2. The combination of claim 1, said tube being tapered from its entrance end toward its exit end.

3. The combination of claim 1, said tube being square in cross section.

The combination of claim 1, said ignitable material comprising a frictional ignit-able collar, an adjacent collar of combustible material and a collar securing said ignitable material collar to the end of the cigarette cover.

5. The combination of claim 1, said tube being affixed in a corner of said package.

6. The combination of claim 5, said package having a sealed top perforated so as to readily provide a tear opening adjacent the entrance end of said tube, said entrance end of said tube being spaced somewhat below the top of said package.

7. The combination of claim 5, said package having a iiip-top cover, said entrance end of said tube being spaced somewhat below said cover.

8. The combination of claim 1, a readily combustible material affixed to said cover adjacent said ign'itable material, whereby said ignitable material, when ignited, will ignite said combustible material to maintain combustion to permit the flame therefrom to be puffed in to said tiller and ignite the same.

9. In combination, a package, a plurality of cigarettes each having a paper cover and a filler, a frictionally ignitable material affixed to each cover adjacent one end of the cigarette, a tube, open at both ends, of somewhat shorter length than said cigarettes, afiixed to and mounted within said package and friction means on the inner wall of said tube for igniting said frictionally ignitable material on a cigarette cover to thereby ignite when the cigarette is pulled through said tube, said tube being afiixed in a corner of said package, said package having a sealed top perforated so as to readily provide a tear opening adjacent the entrance end of said tube, said entrance end of said tube being spaced somewhat below the top of said package, said tube having its exit end opening through the bottom of said package.

10. The combination of claim 9, said tube being tapered from its entrance end toward its exit end.

11. In combination, a package, a plurality of cigarettes each having a paper cover and a filler, a frictionally ignitable material affixed to each cover adjacent one end of the cigarette, a tube, open at both ends, of somewhat shorter length than said cigarettes, afiixed to and mounted Within said package and friction means on the inner wall of said tube for igniting said frictionally ignitaole material on a cigarette cover to thereby ignite when the cigarette is pulled through said tube, said tube being afiixed in a corner of said package, said package having a flip-top cover, said entrance end of said tube being spaced somewhat below said cover, said tube having its exitend opening through the bottom of said package.

12. The combination of claim 11, said tube being tapered from its entrance end toward its exit end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 890,060 Hutchinson June 9, 1908 1,971,203 Soltys Aug. 21, 1934 2,006,591 Fox July 2, 1935 2,032,094 Le Voci Feb. 25, 1936 2,803,376 Kampff Aug. 20, 1957 

